[New Show] Almost Human

Once again, FOX has managed to developed a show with RAW potential. Almost Human stars Michael Ealy (Underworld Awakening and Sleeper Cell) plays a DRN Android name Dorian and Karl Urban (Star Trek and Dredd - Just in case you didn't see DREDD because you just KNEW like me it would SUCK he was also BLACK HAT in the movie Priest) plays Detective John Kennex. Not really sure how they came up with that lastname because it is a tad strange but it works. The show is about in the future where human cops must work with an Android partner.  Right off the bat, this show start in your face and rough--gun battle, cop being tough headed (well duh! Without a hard-nosed cop who isn't afraid to break the rules to get the job done, the show wouldn't work). The one thing that bothered me at the beginning was they explained why the detective dislikes Android in the first few minutes. If you don't pay attention you could quite possibly miss the reason but its there.

Anyways, Detective Kennex wakes up after about a year and a half in a coma. They went into a bust, turns out it was a trap and his whole team gets whacked, including his partner who he blames an Android for leaving them there to die.  Anyways, he wakes up and they tell him he MUST get a partner--an ANDROID partner. He is not pleased and the first partner met with an...er...untimely demised after he took a dive out of a speeding car. They then gave him a new Android partner since no other Android partners were available and it is one of the "crazy ones" as Kennex called them--a DRN model. These were made to be as HUMAN as possible. Which meant they can process feelings, has free will (to certain degrees). Apparently the DRN Dorian went buck while a while back and some bad shiz happened.

Now I waited until after two episodes to write this and even after then I was on the fence about writing it yet. I wanted to wait until after the third episode. But I decided to write this since I have to PVR the next episode because I might be working.  Anyways, here is what I think.

Almost Human has REAL potential. This show had me laughing so hard sometimes I find I had a tear in my eyes; especially when Kennex say things like "Never scan my balls again!" But the show also has heart-break and sadness and evil - I know it's only two episodes in but trust me. If you like this kind of look at the world--at what would happen if we gave over total control to robots - I mean these Androids make decision based on calculations and not heart - hence why Kennex's partner died. Think of the iRobot effect and the three laws. Only, these robots don't seem to have those three laws.

The first time I saw the commercial for this show, I wasn't entirely sold on Karl Urban. Let's face, it I don't remember him doing a TV show before and the first time I ever took notice of him was in Star Trek (though I loathe to acknowledge the existence of this movie). But he plays Bones in it then again in PRIEST and in that I wanted to strangle him because he was  bad guy. Karl Urban - Detective Kennex - is great as the tall, dark, handsome and deeply flawed character. I rather enjoy is brooding, his snappy come-backs and his bad-boy, rouge cop attitude. His has a leg that keeps talking and I wish he'd finish charging the thing, at least to make it shut up lol. Watch the show--you'll see what I'm talking about.

Michael Ealy - Plays Dorian-the first time I saw this man I couldn't help thinking what beautiful eyes he has. To be quite honest, he was the one character in the commercials that drew me to the show. The first time I noticed this actor was in Barbershop as Ricky Nash. And then from time to time I would be watching something like The Good Wife or Hawthorne and he'd pop up and I remember him but didn't really know what his name was until I used him as inspiration for a

novel I am currently working on. He plays a fan-tabulous DRN and I was pleasantly surprised how well he plays off Karl Urban.

Okay, so he makes a great DRN like I said. He seems to put Kennex in his place and that is something that comes as a fresh air and is needed. He isn't stuffy but for some reason just brings off an air of authenticity that I never expected.

All in all, I am enjoying Almost Human. There is something very, utterly original about the whole thing. The casting is great. While the captain is a woman, and I dig that - I am not wild about her. She has no personality and is a little stiff. Though she is written as a no-nonsense woman with a heart, it doesn't really come off because her smiles don't seem genuine.

So I will be keeping my eyes on him.

Minka Kelly (Gabby in Parenthood) is in it as Detective Stahl - I think she's going to be Kennex's love interest--I think...so far, I am not sure what I think of her character. I have to wait a few more before I can size her up.

So, yes, that was a little on the long side but I am enjoying this new show. Let's hope FOX keeps it around, but we have to wait and see.

Hugs,
Kato

What's Your Number?

A romantic comedy starring Anna Faris (The House Bunny) is a woman looking back at the past twenty men she's had relationships with in her life and wonders if one of them

might be her one true love.

This movie also stars Chris Evans (Captain America) which I have to admit is a perfect pairing because the two flows off each other amazingly. 

Now the movie is a simple enough concept and I have to admit I never want to see Anna Faris playing a serious role because it wouldn't sit well especially after The House Bunny. Sure, this movie isn't a stroke of genius. It's your typical romcom that you can pretty much tell how it's going to end (maybe it's the romance author in me but I could see the ending the moment Chris Evan's character, Colin, is introduced. 

The bottom line is, I didn't expect Citizen Kane brilliance. I expected a few laughs, a few moment when I cringed and think was that TRULY necessary?  and other moments where I just shook my head with a quick roll of my eyes. Though I have to say strip basketball was something I never thought of before.   What I expected going in was what I got from this movie. I was shocked at a few more laughs than I expected but that is always a good thing. For the holidays or if you're stuck in an airport because they decided your flight is going to be late or your plane hasn't even arrived yet, this won't be a waste of time - it would be an amusing pass time.

Hugs,
Kato

Can't Curry Love

**LGBT MOVIE**

A handsome East Indian from London visits India, falls for a local guy, meets a trans-gendered 'hijra', and discovers a country he only thought he knew - IMDB

This is a short I found on youtube but I had to watch it. It's not at all ike Cinderfella or even anything I've seen before. I don't think it's right to call it a movie because it was only about twenty five minutes. You have to go into it and take it for what it really is. It's funny and cultural and romantic.  The thing about this little flick is, it was long enough to make me wonder about the characters, like his boss, or the trans-gendered encounter. It had the ability to be a much better full length film. I hope they consider it.

Anyways, awesome short.

Kato

Handsome Harry

**LGBT movie**

An ex-Navy man carrying out the last wish of a dying shipmate renews contact with old friends to break the code of silence around a mysterious, long-buried crime. IMDB.

For months since I signed up for Netflix, I've been seeing this movie in my recommended movies. I'm not particularly sure why because well, I hadn't at the time watched any LGBT movies on Netflix. But since it was still in my list, and it was scoring four and five star ratings and reviews I thought I should check it out.

Well, it was a waste of time. I'm watching this movie thinking, come on! Give me something! One girl said how it was a testament to human nature and our society and I'm watching this movie thinking what a load of crap! I continued to the very end of the movie thinking it just HAD to get better. I was wrong.  So it is about a man, seems to be a lady's man in the small town, who left his life in the navy behind and seemed to be doing quite well until his old navy buddy is on his death bed calls him.  So it sends him hurtling back to this night when they all beat the crap out of another sailor because he was gay. Okay, good premise so far right? Here's where the wheels fall off - or started to fall off - Harry goes to meet with his friend who quickly dies then sets off on a mission to get his friend (or himself) forgiveness. It's not clear which.

The movie was one big musical montage of sorts--at least it was good music--but he spent the whole movie driving from one state to another, finding these old Navy buddies who hates his guts - one guy was wealthy but disowned his son because his son is gay, then the man's wife left with Harry who spends a night in a hotel with her making love - I was so put off by this I almost stopped watching. Then one is now a born again Christian who in the middle of Harry asking about what happened back then tells Harry to "give your life to Jesus." I know it was a serious moment but the way he said it and the way it happened I burst out laughing.

Anyways, the movie was horrible. No one learned anything from any of it-not their actions in the past and not the life they were living. They all grew up to be well to do people who are miserable human beings. They were hollow and superficial almost as if the writer didn't bother digging into their lives and putting it on the screen. I was left feeling ripped off and outright irritated I'd wasted so much of my life watching the movie and got nothing from it.

By the time the movie ended I seriously wanted to cry because it was like watching the ending to THE SOPRANOS all over again. I was left falling off a cliff with not proper closure of anything which a movie like Handsome Harry should have.  The two saving graces--well three--were Steve Buscemi (the creepy guy singing He's got the Whole World in Con Air and from Boardwalk Empire) but he was only in the movie for a grand total of like five minutes and Jamey Sherridan (The captain from Law and Order: Criminal Intent and Robert Queen from The Arrow) who plays Harry. Then there was the music -- Amazing, AHH-mazing music. I was happy to see Campbell Scott (he plays(ed) Boris Kuester von Jurgens-Ratenicz in Royal Pains) in it as the older version of the kid they beat up. Both he and Jamey gave me some older man eye candy so that was good as well.

Bottom line, don't waste your time.

Campbell Scott - as David Kagan - the victim in Handsome Harry

Kato